Interactive digital television messaging system

ABSTRACT

A message delivery system is arranged to accept a message from a message source and deliver it to a message recipient in a telecommunications system including an Intelligent Network platform having a plurality of applications, each application being stored at a respective Service Control Point within the Intelligent Network platform, the plurality of applications being able to handle received messages and deliver them to the recipient. The message source and the message recipient can be a digital television system.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with delivering messages, for exampleto a TV screen, which is associated with a fixed telephone line, anddelivered using an Intelligent Network (IN).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The interactive television set may be an analogue television set with aController (a decoder, or a ‘set-top box’, for example) or an integrateddigital Television set, both of which will be referred to as ‘a dTV’herein. The messaging service may be, for example, GSM Short MessageService (SMS) or IP-based Instant Messaging where a telephone number isassociated with the sender. The messages can also contain images andvideo clips, sent via Multimedia Messaging services, using WAP or 3G andsimilar technologies.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a message deliverymeans arranged to accept a message from a message source and deliver itto a message recipient device, comprising a telecommunications systemincluding an Intelligent Network platform including a plurality ofapplications, each application being stored at a respective ServiceControl Point within the Intelligent Network platform, the plurality ofapplications including means to handle received messages and deliverthem to the recipient device.

There is further provided a telecommunications system comprising amessage source, a message recipient device and an Intelligent Networkplatform including a plurality of applications, each application beingstored at a respective Service Control Point within the IntelligentNetwork platform, the plurality of applications including a messagedelivery means arranged to accept a message from the message source anddeliver it to the recipient device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying single FIGURE, which shows an example of a dTV messagingconfiguration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a telecommunications system 200comprising a message source and a message recipient device, one exampleof which is a dTV 110, plus Intelligent Network services 104, messagecentres, and means of delivering 100 web pages to a dTV. The messagesource and the recipient device can be mobile telephones, fixedtelephones, computers, personal assistants (PDA), dTVs and various othermedia and devices.

The invention is likely to increase the volume of messages and bring newrevenue to Operators. It would be targeted predominantly at theresidential market, or wherever a dTV can be associated with a fixedtelephone line. Messages on a TV screen are more readable, generallyable to display more information at any one time, and may suit adifferent population segment. Messages can be sent to a family as anentity or to those who do not have mobile telephones at all. Even mobiletelephone users may prefer this service while at home, since they oftentend to switch their mobile telephones off and keep the television on.The TV is a focal point at home that can act as a convenient medium formessage retrieval.

The message callback function included in the present invention is alsoset to increase revenues for the fixed line Operator. It facilitatescalling back the message-sender by means of click-to-talk while viewingmessages on the dTV. This is a convenient way of making voice contactwith the message sender, without having to look up the number or dialout. It brings more traffic to the fixed network whilst saving money forusers, since it sets up calls for fixed line telephones instead of userscalling back from mobile telephones.

From the user point of view, the dTV is the medium for receiving andsending text messages, as well as responding to a message by callingback and establishing a voice/multimedia session.

The user may be notified of waiting messages by either an indicator onthe dTV 110 (or the set-top-box), or an icon on the TV screen. Theservice can be accessed by pressing a designated button on a dTV remotecontrol. The user is then able to view text messages, along with senderdetails, messages time and date and other related information.

The users can use the dTV remote control or similar devices fornavigation and for message management, for example—for deletingmessages. The user can also enter new messages via the dTV, by a numberof means, for example typing replies via:

-   -   the remote control (with mapping to a keyboard);    -   a soft keyboard displayed on the dTV screen, or    -   infra-red portable keyboard.

The entered messages, addressed to either the sender of the currentlyselected message, or to a new addressee (by a telephone number), canthen be dispatched.

If the user wishes to respond to the currently viewed message by atelephone call, the callback function can be selected. The user's owntelephone rings first, which ensures that a callback was intended andnot accidental. When the user hears the telephone ring and picks up thereceiver, the destination is then automatically dialed. If the originalmessage-sender answers, the call is connected.

Delivery Service 100 elements such as the following may be used:

-   -   Messaging centre 106 (text or multimedia) that can handle fixed        telephone addressees;    -   Interworking with dTV ‘middleware’ 112 and the dTV;    -   An IN service 104 that formats the message data and sends it on        in dTV browser format;    -   An IN service 104 that sets up a call from the associated fixed        line 114 to the message sender, and/or    -   An IN service 104 that generates charging information for        messages in the same way as for telephone calls.

The IN services 104 and the Messaging centre 106 are part of a ServiceControl Point 108, which is part of an Intelligent Network platform 102.

The recipient message centre 110 must recognise that a destinationnumber is not a mobile telephone, accept a fixed line telephone numberas a valid destination, and trigger the IN service 104. There the dTVaddress associated with the fixed line number 114 is retrieved. Theservice sends a message-waiting notification to the dTV 110, to light upan indicator or display an icon on the TV screen.

When a user clicks on the service icon, the dTV browser sends a requestto the IN service 104 to forward the stored message(s) to the dTV 110.The IN service 104 authenticates the user, identifies the user'spersonal message store, retrieves the text (or the multimedia file) andreformats it for the special dTV browser.

Users can enter outgoing messages, whether in response to receivedmessages or not, and the message data together with the addressee'stelephone number are sent to the IN service 104, via the dTV browser.The IN service 104 formats the message and forwards it to the messagecentre for delivery in the appropriate messaging service network.

The callback function is activated on the dTV 110 as a ‘click-to-dial’,where the user's associated fixed line telephone is connected. The INservice 104 is actually performing a ‘third party calling’, initiated bya program, not by dialing. The IN service 104 obtains the messagesender's Calling Line Identity (CLI) and uses it as the destination. Thesender's number may be a mobile number or a fixed line associated withthe sender, or any device using telephone numbers. When the call isconnected, the IN service 104 will then produce call-charginginformation that will be billed to the user's fixed line 114.

Outgoing messages cause the IN service 104 to pass charging informationto the switch, for it to generate billing records, which can beprocessed for the normal fixed line subscriber's bill. Furthermore,special incoming messages can also generate charging information, toallow adding items to the telephone bill and to notify the user.

The FIGURE demonstrates, by way of example, how this new serviceoperates. Note that the invention works with either an integratedmessage centre or an external one, and with a variety of messagingsources and destinations.

1. A message delivery means for accepting a user-entered message from amessage source, the message comprising user-entered text message dataand an address of the addressee, and for delivering the user-enteredmessage to a message recipient device, comprising: a telecommunicationssystem including an intelligent network (IN) platform including aplurality of applications, each application being stored at a respectiveservice control point within the IN platform, the plurality ofapplications including means for handling each received user-enteredmessage and for delivering the received user-entered message to therecipient device, the IN platform being operative for sending amessage-waiting notification to said message recipient device, and forsending the message to said message recipient device after receiving arequest from the user and authenticating said user, and for reformattingthe message for a specific browser of said message of recipient device.2. The message delivery means as claimed in claim 1, wherein the messagesource comprises at least one selected from a group comprising a mobiletelephone, a WAP telephone, an IP/SIP telephone, a computer, a personalassistant device, and a dTV.
 3. The message delivery means as claimed inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the recipient device and the messagesource is a dTV.
 4. The message delivery means as claimed in claim 3,wherein the dTV is connected via a controller that enables the dTV to beconnected to the IN platform by at least one of a dial-up, DSL,satellite and cable modem.
 5. The message delivery means as claimed inclaim 3, wherein the dTV initiates calling back a message sender using areceived calling line identity.
 6. The message delivery means as claimedin claim 5, wherein a call is set up for a user's fixed line telephoneand is billed on a bill for the user's fixed line telephone.
 7. Themessage delivery means as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IN platformincludes a billing application for generating billing information forthe user-entered message in the same way as billing information isgenerated for telephone calls.
 8. A telecommunications system,comprising: a message source; a message recipient device; and anintelligent network (IN) platform including a plurality of applications,each application being stored at a respective service control pointwithin the IN platform, the plurality of applications including amessage delivery means for accepting a user-entered message comprisinguser-entered text message data and an address of the addressee from themessage source and for delivering the user-entered message to therecipient device, the IN platform being operative for sending amessage-waiting notification to said message recipient device and forsending the message to said message recipient device after receiving arequest from the user and authenticating said user, and for reformattingthe message for a specific browser of said message of recipient device.9. The telecommunications system as claimed in claim 8, wherein themessage source comprises at least one selected from a group comprising amobile telephone, a WAP telephone, an IP/SIP telephone, a computer, apersonal assistant device, and a dTV.
 10. The telecommunications systemas claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the recipient device andthe source device is a dTV.
 11. The telecommunications system as claimedin claim 10, wherein the dTV is connected via a controller that enablesthe dTV to be connected to the IN platform by at least one of a dial-up,DSL, satellite, and cable modem.
 12. The telecommunications system asclaimed in claim 10, including means for using the dTV to initiatecalling back a message sender using a received calling line identity.13. The telecommunications system as claimed in claim 12, wherein a callis set up for a user's fixed line telephone and is billed on a bill forthe user's fixed line telephone.
 14. The telecommunications system asclaimed in claim 8, wherein the IN platform includes a billingapplication for generating billing information for the user-enteredmessage in the same way as billing information is generated fortelephone calls.
 15. The message delivery means as claimed in claim 1,in which the address is the addressee's telephone number.
 16. Thetelecommunication system as claimed in claim 8, in which the address isthe addressee's telephone number.